We're Booked

We are officially booked for our first trip home. What a completely complicated ordeal! It actually took two days of phone calls to get it all straightened out. Whew! Glad it's done.

We couldn't seem to get all the flights we needed directly from any one airline carrier (our trip has multi-city destinations), so we finally decided to try a travel site. We've had family members have trouble using these sites, but the flight selection was decent and so was the price. I won't directly mention the site, in case some of you are fans...let's just call it Nexpedia.com. Such a nightmare. Long story short, we booked and paid for our tickets only to find out the booking omitted Ella in the end. Outside of North America, an infant has to be booked as a separate passenger (not attached to a parents ticket). Nexpedia.com wouldn't acknowledge her as a travelling passenger. The folks at Nexpedia.com turned out to be completely useless (offering to cancel and rebook our flights again - they had Ella on another flight - but oops... the flights went up $5000+ in price overnight!). We had to make a trip to the airport to physically visit Qatar Airways... still no luck correcting the problem. Three long and pleading phone calls to Air Canada later, we finally have it sorted... we think.
So - drum roll, please - we are coming home! We leave Qatar June 16 to fly to Calgary for Dave and Kirsten's wedding on June 19. We leave Calgary on June 20 for ten days in Nova Scotia, returning to Doha on the 30th.
Although I had hoped for a stop in Texas, we couldn't do it this time around. I am still hoping to get there later this year though.
Tips on travelling on long haul flights with an almost-eight-month-old very welcome!

PS - Construction on our brick patio extension has suddenly halted. The LBM have been called away on a very important 'tiling' project in villa #12, preparing it for new people. Damn them. When I asked when they could get back there and finish, I am met with blank stares and then a "yes ma'am". I think we have negotiated that work will resume in 'two days' (I know this from the fingers the head LBM kept holding up?). Gone are the days of efficiency and deadlines... welcome to Doha! I'll keep you posted if and when it's ever finished...